BUFFALO, N.Y. — In January, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy will have a new Executive Director. After getting dozens of formal applications, the board of trustees didn't have to go far to find her.
Catie Stephenson is currently the group's chief development and communications officer. Stephenson is a Buffalo native who has worked for the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy for the past six years.
"The park that we're in today, Prospect Park, is actually one of the neighborhood parks that's important to my family. We spend almost every day here in this park, and it's been really interesting over my time at the conservancy to hear from residents how meaningful their neighborhood park is to them," said Catie Stephenson, incoming Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Executive Director.
Stephenson says she originally applied for her first job with the conservancy to find out more about the relationship a community has with public spaces.
"Olmsted designed parks not just for himself or for the people who lived during his time. He designed parks to care for the people of the future. We saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were so incredibly lucky to have the parks that we have here in Buffalo, and it's really important that these parks are open and accessible and free for everybody to use 365 days a year," said Catie Stephenson.
In her new role, Stephenson says she wants to enhance the relationship the group has with the City of Buffalo.
And, there's also the issue of what to do with the Humboldt Parkway.
Last month, the conservancy came out with a statement giving health concerns and historic preservation as reasons it opposes the NYSDOT's plan to tunnel the 33.
"The most mission-aligned solution for that particular project, you know, would be to fully restore Humboldt Parkway, which was one of, which many people at the time of Olmsted called the most beautiful street in America. But we also understand that we are not an organization that lives in that community, so it's important that the community has a chance to come forward and to voice their opinion about what they would like in that space," said Catie Stephenson.
Stephenson says it's important for her to make sure the conservancy is part of the community every day. She also wants to bring more national recognition to the parks we have here. More than a million people use the Olmsted Park System every year.